by John McCaughey • The other day it was a bright sunny day at the ranch, and I was washing off a piece of equipment near some pine trees. I’ve been particularly fond of these trees and knew I could take the time to give them a bath and a drink at the same time. I aimed the water high into each pine. Every branch moved with the force of the water.
When you give a bath to a little baby who can’t even sit up, you can tell how much it appreciates the touching and caring. It giggles with joy, and then smiles as you hold it in a towel next to you. That was the feeling one of those trees conveyed to me; it appreciated the attention. How beautiful the pine branches were while wearing water droplets sparkling in the sunlight!
In an instant, a number of feelings passed through me. I pondered the creation, and a point before time, when all that existed was the slumbering I Am That I Am in the smallest of all places. What incredible power had to be so focused at that point. When I try to understand, I’m brought to my knees. It’s so amazing…and I seem so insignificant.
But Jesus said, “These things that I do, you can do also, and far greater things.” This has stayed with me and encourages me.
Now the trees I had sprayed were shaking in the breeze. I realized that the way our eyes see the world is one thing, but the way it really exists is another. All the cells of my body were mingling with the atoms in the air, and the air was touching the cells of the trees. My feet on the ground were mingling with the atomic structure and magnetism of the Earth in one huge collage of energy, atoms, cells, vortexes of magnetism and light. Truly, we can just reach out and touch anything, because we’re all connected to everything.
Looking back, it always seemed to me that the path home to Spirit was uphill—sometimes really steep, sometimes more gradual, but always uphill. Recently, however, it came to me that each one of us crosses a threshold of knowing that there’s no turning back on the spiritual path. Once we are truly rooted in our spirituality, the path is not uphill, and we know that when everything is right we’ll collide head on with our Creator and experience the joy of knowing who we truly are.
Each one of us has a personal relationship with Spirit, completely unique, completely dependable, totally real. We should all be encouraged…should allow our hearts to be light and open. We are all children of God, and I Am That I Am is alive in every place…in every point in the universe. Each one of us has been blessed with the desire to be one with that energy and given the tools to attain that goal.